Yifei Li
Chinese cellist Yifei Li is a third-year DMA candidate in cello performance and graduate teaching assistant to Steven Doane and Rosemary Elliot at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester. She holds BM and MM degrees in cello performance from the Juilliard School, where she studied with Joel Krosnick and Natasha Brofsky.
A versatile cellist, Yifei has performed extensively both as a soloist and a collaborator in China, Germany, Japan, and the United States. One of the founding members of the Azure String Quartet, she performed in such prestigious venues as Carnegie Hall and Alice Tully Hall and appeared in chamber festivals and programs such as Yellow Barn, Fontainebleau, and Kneisel, among others. In addition to serving as a principal cellist in the Juilliard Orchestra from 2017 to 2020, she is also a substitute cellist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Yifei’s artistic achievement has been recognized by numerous awards, including first prizes in the 2011 Osaka International String Competition and the 2012 Shanghai Concerto Competition. She is the recipient of numerous scholarships including the Lois Smith Scholarship, C.V. Starr Scholarship, and John and Mary Celentano Endowed Scholarship.
Yifei’s passion for teaching runs parallel with her performance pursuits. Aside from serving as a chamber coach at Eastman where she regularly mentors both cello majors and non-majors, Yifei is a proud director of her private cello studio. Her students won competitions and were admitted to prominent conservatories such as New England, Eastman, Jacobs, Manhattan, Berklee, and Mannes.